Talibans Drone Attacks Raise Questions About Pakistans Defense Capabilities

Drones Strike Multiple Locations in Pakistan, Eliciting Concern from Experts.

On March 13, drones targeted three locations across Pakistan, resulting in injuries to civilians. The incidents occurred in Quetta, Kohat, and Rawalpindi, with two children among those wounded in Quetta. According to the Pakistani military, the drones were intercepted before reaching their targets.

This incident is not an isolated event. In late February, anti-drone systems reportedly brought down small drones over Abbottabad, Swabi, and Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Another attack occurred in Bannu, where five men were injured after a quadcopter hit a mosque.

The Taliban group in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, stating that they targeted military targets in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. However, Pakistan’s military has dismissed these assertions as propaganda, describing the drones as “rudimentary” and “locally produced”.

Analysts have expressed concern over the increasing frequency of drone attacks on Pakistani cities, particularly those with significant military presence or places of worship. The government responded by imposing a nationwide ban on drone flights and briefly restricting airspace over the capital.

Experts point to the escalating situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan as a contributing factor to these incidents. The two countries have been engaged in an “open war” for three weeks, which has led to increased tensions and security concerns. The Taliban’s involvement in attacks on Pakistani soil is also a point of contention between the two nations.

The Pakistani government has repeatedly pressed Kabul to act against armed groups operating in Afghanistan, but Afghan authorities have denied harbouring such groups on their soil. The situation remains unresolved, with both sides trading accusations and engaging in occasional border clashes.

Source: Al Jazeera